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United States Patent |
5,186,055
|
Kovacich
,   et al.
|
February 16, 1993
|
Hermetic mounting system for a pressure transducer
Abstract
A pressure transducer (50) of the type utilizing a diaphragm (8) with
strain sensitive elements (14) formed in the diaphragm surface where the
strain sensitive elements (14) are connected to an electronics assembly
(4) to produce an electrical output in response to deflection of the
diaphragm (8). A diaphragm assembly (26) is bonded to an intermediate
support member (28) which is in turn bonded to a main support member (32)
which is joined to a support collar (42) and hermetically sealed thereto
with a sealing glass (40) where each element (2, 28, 32, 42) has a
substantially matched coefficient of thermal expansion so as to reduce any
induced thermal stresses and resultant measurement errors where the
sealing glass (40) and the support collar (42) have a greater coefficient
to produce a compressive type seal at high temperature. A pressure fitting
(58) is joined to the external fluid pressure to be measured where the
fluid is conducted to the diaphragm (8) through a plurality of passageways
(30, 34, 56) in the support elements (28, 32, 44). A main housing (48)
encloses the pressure sensing assembly (2) and support members (28, 32,
42) thereby providing protection from the environment.
Inventors:
|
Kovacich; John A. (Wauwatosa, WI);
Hoinsky; Christopher C. (Huntington, CT);
Williams; Donald G. (Sherman, CT);
Schiesser; Robert A. (Ridgefield, CT)
|
Assignee:
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Eaton Corporation (Cleveland, OH)
|
Appl. No.:
|
709551 |
Filed:
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June 3, 1991 |
Current U.S. Class: |
73/727; 29/621.1; 73/724; 73/726; 73/756; 338/4; 361/283.4 |
Intern'l Class: |
G01L 007/08; G01L 009/06 |
Field of Search: |
73/720,721,726,727,753,754,756,DIG. 4,718,724
338/4,42
361/283
29/621.1
|
References Cited
U.S. Patent Documents
4127840 | Nov., 1978 | House | 338/4.
|
4771639 | Sep., 1988 | Saigusa et al. | 73/727.
|
4898035 | Feb., 1990 | Yajima et al. | 73/727.
|
4918992 | Apr., 1990 | Mathias | 338/4.
|
4972716 | Nov., 1990 | Tobita et al. | 73/721.
|
Primary Examiner: Woodiel; Donald O.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Uthoff, Jr.; L. H.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A transducer for measuring a pressure comprising:
a diaphragm having a relatively thin center section, said diaphragm being
fixed in response to variations of a pressure to be measured, having
disposed on one side of said center section a strain sensitive element;
a main support member for said diaphragm having a first and second end and
a passageway extending therethrough, said diaphragm bonded to said first
end of said main support member so that said center section is in
substantial alignment with said passageway of said main support member;
support collar means surrounding a section of said main support member
having a space between said main support member and said support collar
means, and said support collar means extending to form a housing having
walls and a base adapted to be connected to said pressure, said walls and
said base enclosing said diaphragm and said main support; and
a sealing glass which occupies said space between said support collar means
and said main support member providing a hermetic seal therebetween.
2. The transducer of claim 1, wherein said main support member is formed of
silicon.
3. The transducer of claim 1, wherein said strain sensitive element is a
plurality of piezoresistive elements formed on an oxide layer on said
center section of said diaphragm.
4. The transducer of claim 1, wherein said strain sensitive element is a
capacitor bonded to said center section of said diaphragm.
5. The transducer of claim 1, wherein said diaphragm is supported by a
thicker support portion at the periphery of said diaphragm where said
thicker support portion is anodically bonded to said main support element.
6. The transducer of claim 1, wherein the coefficient of thermal expansion
of said main support member is substantially equal to that of said
diaphragm and the coefficient of thermal expansion of said sealing glass
is greater than that of said main support member and the coefficient of
thermal expansion of said support collar is greater than that of said
sealing glass.
7. The transducer of claim 1, wherein the coefficient of thermal expansion
of said diaphragm, said main support member, said sealing glass and said
support collar are all substantially equal.
8. The transducer of claim 1, wherein said support collar is formed of a
precipitation hardened steel.
9. The transducer of claim 1, wherein said support collar is formed of an
Inconel Nickel-Base Superalloy.
10. The transducer of claim 1, wherein said support collar is formed of a
stainless steel.
11. The transducer of claim 1, wherein said support collar is formed of a
titanium alloy.
12. The transducer of claim 1, further comprising a support washer having a
passageway therethrough in substantial alignment with said passageway of
said main support member, said washer having an outer diameter slightly
smaller than an inner diameter of said support collar, said washer having
a face in contact with said second end of said main support member.
13. A transducer for measuring a pressure comprising:
a lower transducer member adapted to be connected to a source of pressure
to be measured, said lower transducer member having a passageway;
a housing having walls and joined to said lower transducer member forming a
cavity;
a diaphragm having a relatively thin center section, said diaphragm being
flexed in response to variations of a pressure to be measured, having
disposed on one side of said center section a strain sensitive element;
an intermediate support member for said diaphragm formed of an electrically
insulating glass, said intermediate support member having a first end and
a second end with a passageway extending therethrough, said diaphragm
bonded to the first end of said intermediate support member so that said
active area is in substantial alignment with said passageway;
a main support member for said intermediate support member having a first
and a second end with a passageway extending therethrough, said second end
of said intermediate support member bonded to said first end of said main
support member so that said passageway of said main support member is in
substantial alignment with said passageway of said intermediate support
member;
a support collar surrounding said main support member and attached to said
lower transducer member inside said cavity and having a void between said
support collar and said main support member; and
a sealing glass which occupies said void between said support collar and
said main support providing a hermetic seal therebetween.
14. The transducer of claim 13, wherein said intermediate support member is
formed of a borosilicate glass.
15. The transducer of claim 13, wherein said intermediate support member is
formed of a borosilicate glass known as 7740 Pyrex.
16. The transducer of claim 13, wherein said main support member is formed
of silicon.
17. The transducer of claim 13, wherein said sealing glass is formed of a
hydrated lead borate solder glass.
18. The transducer of claim 13, wherein said sealing glass is hydrated and
then is heated in substantial accordance with a specified temperature and
time history.
19. The transducer of claim 13, wherein the coefficient of thermal
expansion of said main support member is substantially equal to that of
said diaphragm and the coefficient of thermal expansion of said sealing
glass is greater than that of said main support member and the coefficient
of thermal expansion of said support collar is greater than that of said
sealing glass.
20. The transducer of claim 13, wherein the coefficient of thermal
expansion of said diaphragm, said main support member, said sealing glass
and said support collar are all substantially equal.
21. The transducer of claim 13, wherein said diaphragm is formed of
silicon.
22. The transducer of claim 13, wherein said diaphragm is formed of
crystalline silicon having a relatively thin center section, said
diaphragm being flexed in response to variations of said pressure, having
disposed on one side of an active area thereof a thin layer of oxide
having formed thereon at least one strain sensitive element with a thicker
support portion at the periphery of said diaphragm.
23. The transducer of claim 22, wherein said strain sensitive element is a
plurality of piezoresistors arranged in a configuration known as a
Wheatstone bridge.
24. The transducer of claim 13, wherein said diaphragm is anodically bonded
to said intermediate support member.
25. The transducer of claim 13, wherein said intermediate member is
anodically bonded to said main support member.
26. A transducer for measuring a pressure comprising:
a lower transducer member adapted to be connected to a source of pressure
to be measured, said base having a passageway;
a main housing having walls and attached to said lower transducer member
forming a cavity;
a crystalline diaphragm having a relatively thin center section, said
diaphragm being flexed in response to variations of said pressure, having
disposed on one side of an active area thereof at least one strain
sensitive element with a thicker support portion at the periphery of said
diaphragm;
an intermediate support member for said diaphragm formed of a borosilicate
glass, said intermediate support member having a first end and a second
end with a passageway extending therethrough, said diaphragm thicker
support portion anodically bonded to the first end of said intermediate
support member so that said active area is in substantial alignment with
said passageway said intermediate support member having a coefficient of
thermal expansion substantially equal to said diaphragm;
a main support member for said intermediate support member formed of a
crystalline silicon having a first end and a second end and a passageway
extending therethrough, said second end of said intermediate support
member anodically bonded to said passageway of said main support member so
that said passageway of said main support member so that said passageway
of said main support member is in substantial alignment with said
passageway of said intermediate support member said main support member
having a coefficient of thermal expansion substantially equal to said
intermediate support member;
a support collar formed of a precipitation hardened steel surrounding a
section of said main support member and attached to said lower transducer
member and having a void between said support collar and said main support
member said support collar having a coefficient of thermal expansion
approximately four times as great as that of said main support member;
a support washer having a passageway therethrough in substantial alignment
with said passageway of said main support member located at said second
end of said main support member, a peripheral edge of said support washer
contacting said support collar;
a sealing glass which occupies said void between said support collar and
said main support member providing a hermetic seal therebetween said
sealing glass having a coefficient of thermal expansion of 0% to 50%
greater than that of said main support member;
an electrical signal conditioning means mounted in said housing and
electrically connected to said strain sensitive element; and
an electrical connector mounted to said housing at an end opposite to said
lower transducer member and electrically connected to said electrical
signal conditioning means.
27. The transducer of claim 26, wherein said crystalline diaphragm
comprises:
a first layer formed of a single crystal silicon having a central hollow
and a closed top surface, said top surface being relatively thin and
surrounded by a thicker side surface, said top surface defining a force
collecting diaphragm;
a second layer formed of a relatively thin cross section of oxide material
deposited on said top surface that covers said force collecting diaphragm;
and
at least one strain sensitive element residing on said second layer of
oxide material.
28. The transducer of claim 26, wherein said strain sensitive element
consists of a plurality of piezoresistive strain gages arranged to form a
Wheatstone bridge.
29. The transducer of claim 26, wherein said intermediate support member is
formed of 7740 Pyrex glass.
30. The transducer of claim 26, wherein said support collar is formed of a
precipitation hardened steel.
31. The transducer of claim 26, wherein said support collar is formed of a
stainless steel.
32. The transducer of claim 26, wherein said support collar is formed of a
titanium alloy.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to pressure sensing transducers of the type
utilizing strain sensitive elements formed in a flexible diaphragm
subjected to a pressure to be measured. More particularly, the present
invention relates to an improved pressure sensing assembly mounting
arrangement with a hermetic seal of the high pressure chamber for reduced
component stress, media compatibility, improved stability and improved
measurement accuracy at elevated temperature.
Semiconductor pressure transducers have a wide range of applications
including industrial and other applications where accurate pressure
monitoring is required especially under harsh environments. Semiconductor
pressure transducers utilizing silicon, sapphire or other crystalline
diaphragms offer many potential advantages in such applications due to
their small size, absence of moving parts and potential for sensitivity
and accuracy.
The typical semiconductor pressure transducer basically consists of a
pressure force collector diaphragm having one or more electrical strain
sensitive elements such as piezoresistors or a capacitor mounted thereon
which change electrical characteristics with the deflection of the
diaphragm where such changes are detected, amplified and relayed to
various instrumentation which indicates the pressure history of the
monitored system.
In one prior art approach, dopant silicon piezoresistive elements are
formed directly in a force collector diaphragm of single crystal silicon.
Since the silicon piezoresistive film is integral to the silicon
diaphragm, the piezoresistive film is essentially an atomic extension of
the diaphragm and has the same crystal structure. This results in improved
bonding and effectively no hysteresis effect. Additionally, the
piezoresistive elements may be formed in specific orientations according
to the needs of the particular transducer. Specifically, a Wheatstone
bridge configuration of silicon piezoresistive elements may be laid out on
the diaphragm using techniques well known in the art such as doping,
masking and etching.
Although having many advantages, such silicon transducers also have
inherent disadvantages as well, particularly at elevated temperatures.
Since the silicon diaphragm is a semiconductor by nature, electrical
leakage between the piezoresistive elements through the silicon diaphragm
may occur at high temperatures. Each silicon piezoresistive element is
typically formed in an island of oppositely doped conductivity type, where
the P-N junction prevents current flow from the piezoresistive film into
the diaphragm. However, at higher temperatures, typically those above
350.degree. F., the P-N junction typically experiences complete failure
and/or undesirable electrical characteristics.
In order to overcome the problem of the breakdown of the P-N junction at
high temperature between the piezoresistive elements and the diaphragm two
approaches have been used. In the first, a sapphire material has been used
as a diaphragm. This technique is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,994,781 the
disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. Since sapphire is
an electrical insulator, there is no need for a reversed biased
semiconductor junction between the piezoresistive element and the
diaphragm. However, differences in the coefficient of the expansion of the
different materials that are used in the piezoresistive elements, the
force diaphragm, the support element, and the transducer housing can still
combine to induce stress related failures in one or any of the parts
especially at elevated temperature.
A second approach is to use a diaphragm assembly configuration referred to
in the art as silicon-on-insulator. In this method, an insulating oxide
layer is created between two layers of single crystal silicon. One of the
layers of silicon is very thin while a second layer is relatively thick.
The pressure sensitive diaphragm is formed in the thicker silicon layer
while a plurality of strain gages are formed in the thinner layer using
techniques well known in the art such as doping, masking or etching. The
rest of this thin silicon layer is etched away, leaving the strain gages
as dielectrically isolated islands on a silicon diaphragm.
To utilize silicon or sapphire diaphragms in pressure transducers, it is
necessary to suitably mount the diaphragm in a housing adapted to be
connected to a source of pressure to be measured. For many industrial and
aerospace applications, the media, pressures and temperatures are so
extreme that a rugged mounting and sealing arrangement for the pressure
sensing diaphragm is required and heretofore has not been available.
In order to achieve adequate strength, the diaphragm is commonly mounted on
a support structure. If the thermal expansion coefficients of the support
are substantially different than the diaphragm assembly, temperature
variations can cause stresses and strains to be produced in the diaphragm
and support structure giving rise to stress induced failure and
measurement error. This error arises because thermal stresses produced in
the diaphragm cause changes in the electrical properties of the diaphragm
strain sensing elements which are indistinguishable from those changes
caused by pressure induced bending strain in the diaphragm. Selecting a
support material that has a coefficient of thermal expansion that matches
that of the diaphragm to minimize thermally induced stress is a solution
to this problem and is known in the prior art. The problem with the prior
art is specifically with hermetically sealing the diaphragm support to the
housing for use at high temperatures and pressures.
One method to seal the diaphragm support element in a pressure transducer
is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,697,917, the disclosure of which is
incorporated by reference, which employs an elastomer to seal the pressure
to be measured from the ambient pressure across the diaphragm. Elastomers
do not function well at high temperatures and pressures. In addition, they
may pose problems of compatibility for some media.
Another sealing method is disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,918,992 and
4,019,388 where a glass support member is bonded and sealed to a metal
housing by soldering. This sealing technique requires that the glass
support member be coated with a solder wetable metal such as a mixture of
titanium, platinum and gold. This process is complicated and expensive
with an additional soldering operation necessary to complete the seal and
in addition the seal does not function well at high pressure.
Due to the deficiencies of the prior art, a need presently exists for an
improved type of pressure sensor that employs a proper selection of
materials for mounting of a pressure sensitive silicon or other
crystalline type diaphragm on a support element and for the hermetic
mounting of the support element to seal the high pressure fluid to be
measured from the reference pressure for operation at high temperatures
and pressures and in corrosive environments while having a high degree of
accuracy.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides an improved method of physically mounting
and hermetically sealing a diaphragm support element to minimize thermally
induced stress thereby extending the operating temperature range of a
pressure transducer. The materials selected for a diaphragm assembly, an
intermediate support element, a main support element, a support collar and
a fused sealing glass all have carefully selected coefficients of thermal
expansion. The diaphragm assembly is anodically bonded to an intermediate
support member which is anodically bonded to a silicon main support
member. This assembly is then mounted to the transducer housing by way of
a support collar and a sealing glass material. More specifically, the main
support member is surrounded at its base by the support collar with a gap
between the two. The gap is filled with a glass that is heated so that it
flows and bonds to both the main support member and the support collar.
The collar is then mounted to the transducer housing using a process such
as welding which completes the hermetic seal between the pressure to be
measured and a reference pressure. In an alternative configuration, the
collar also functions as the transducer housing. In another alternative
configuration, the intermediate support member is eliminated and the
diaphragm assembly is mounted directly on the main support member.
Since the materials are carefully selected for matched coefficients of
thermal expansion, the specific configuration and methods disclosed by the
present invention provide for a very effective mounting system for a
pressure sensitive diaphragm because thermally induced stresses are
minimized permitting operation at high temperature with improved accuracy
and durability.
The present invention also discloses a special process of preparing the
glass sealing material so that upon fusing, the surface of the main
support member and the support collar are both wetted by the glass thereby
establishing a very effective durable hermetic seal and physical support
between the two elements. Also, the glass is specially selected and
prepared so that it's coefficient of thermal expansion is slightly greater
than those of the main support member and less than the support collar so
that a compressive type seal is maintained but not so great of an
expansion rate that destructive stresses are generated. Furthermore, the
glass, by using the special process, changes its mechanical
characteristics when trapped water changes to vapor upon heating, forming
microbubbles, thereby reducing thermally induced mechanical stress. Using
the above techniques, a silicon diaphragm (or other crystalline diaphragm
materials such as sapphire) can be mounted in a pressure transducer to
operate over a wide range of temperatures with high accuracy and excellent
durability.
An aspect of the present invention is to provide a support structure to a
silicon or other type of crystalline diaphragm so that a transducer
housing can surround the support member assembly to support the diaphragm
element while minimizing stress at high temperatures.
Another aspect of the present invention is to provide an intermediate
support member that allows a silicon or other crystalline diaphragm to be
anodically bonded to the intermediate support member where the
intermediate support member is then anodically bonded to a silicon main
support member.
Another aspect of the present invention is to provide a process for sealing
the main support member to a surrounding support ring using a specially
prepared glass which is fused and bonds to both the support ring and the
support member thereby establishing a hermetic seal between the pressure
to be measured and the reference pressure.
The above and other aspects, as well as advantageous features of the
invention, will become clear from the following description of the
preferred embodiments taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a preferred embodiment of the pressure
transducer of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the pressure sensing assembly and
intermediate support member of the pressure transducer of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a top view of a preferred embodiment of the silicon diaphragm of
FIG. 2 with piezoresistive elements formed thereon;
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the pressure sensing assembly and the
signal electronics assembly;
FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the main support element and the
support collar hermetically sealed using fused glass;
FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the sealing glass preform;
FIG. 7 is a temperature versus time diagram of the sealing glass fusing
process;
FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of a first alternative embodiment of the
pressure transducer of the present invention; and
FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of a second alternative embodiment of the
pressure transducer of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring to FIG. 1, a cross-section of the preferred embodiment of the
pressure transducer of the present invention is shown. The transducer
shown in FIG. 1 includes a pressure sensing assembly 2 connected to an
optional electronics assembly 4. The pressure sensing assembly 2 provides
the pressure measuring capability of the transducer shown in FIG. 1 while
the electronics assembly 4 provides signal amplifying and conditioning
circuitry. The pressure sensing assembly 2 and electronics assembly 4
together form a strain sensing package 6 which may be of an overall
circular shape with the cross-section of FIG. 1 thus representing a
section through the axis of the strain sensing package 3. Square,
rectangular, hexagonal or alternate shaped packages may also be employed
for either the pressure sensing assembly 2 or the electronics assembly 4.
Pressure sensing assembly 2 includes a diaphragm 8 formed of a crystalline
silicon material which is supported by a thicker section 10 at the
periphery of the diaphragm 8. A variety of alternate diaphragm materials
can be used in place of silicon, an example being sapphire, and any
reference to silicon is meant to encompass all types of diaphragm
materials. The diaphragm 8 has a relatively thin cross-section so that the
fluid being monitored causes the diaphragm 8 to flex thus inducing strain
at the diaphragm 8 top surface. As will be described in more detail below,
the diaphragm 8 has a thin layer of oxide 12 deposited as an electrical
insulator and a thin film of strain sensitive elements 14 are formed or
deposited on the oxide substantially symmetrically located about the
center axis so that the flexing of diaphragm 8 causes the strain sensitive
elements 14 to change electrical characteristics. Electrical signals from
the strain sensitive elements 14 (such as piezoresistive or capacitor) are
provided along wires 16 which are wire bonded to connection pads on a
primary circuit board 18. The primary circuit board 18 surrounds the
pressure sensing assembly 2 and has electrical connectors 20 which extend
upwards and are electrically connected to the electronics assembly 4, the
electrical output of which, is connected to connector 22 by way of
electrical leads 24.
The thicker section 10 of the diaphragm 8 is integral to the diaphragm 8
and functions as a support along the diaphragm 8 periphery forming a
diaphragm assembly 26. The thicker section 10 is bonded to an intermediate
support member 28 which contains a passageway 30 so that pressure from the
fluid to be monitored communicates with the underside of the diaphragm 8.
The bond of thicker section 10 to the intermediate support member 28 may
be provided by a number of techniques such as by using an epoxy adhesive,
glass bond or an electrostatic bond known in the art as anodic bonding as
described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,397,278 the disclosure of which is hereby
incorporated by reference.
Using a similar bonding technique, the intermediate support member 28 is
bonded to a main support member 32 which is formed from a crystalline or
polycrystalline silicon material and contains a passageway 34 which is in
substantial alignment with the passageway 30 of the intermediate support
member 28 thereby establishing a conduit for the pressure to be sensed to
reach the diaphragm 8. The function of the intermediate support member 28
is to allow anodic bonding to be used to mount the diaphragm assembly 26
when using a silicon main support member 32 since silicon cannot be
anodically bonded directly to silicon. Main support member 32 can be
fabricated from silicon rod or from machined silicon having a cylindrical
shape or any one of a variety of shapes with a passageway 34 extending
through the center. The material used for the main support member 32 has a
coefficient of thermal expansion substanially equal to that of the
diaphragm assembly 26. Prior to bonding, the face 21 to be joined of main
support member 32 is optically polished to a fineness of one fringe per
inch to facilitate anodic bonding between the elements 28 and 32.
The lower section 38 of the main support member 32 is physically supported
and hermetically sealed by a sealing glass 40 which is fused to the
surface of the main support member 32 and to a support collar 42 which
surrounds the lower section 38 of main support member 32. The support
collar 42 is welded to the periphery of the lower transducer member 44 as
shown at 46. The main housing 48 which can be cylindrical in shape or take
on a variety of other forms is made of a steel material and serves to
enclose the working components of the pressure transducer 50.
Support collar 42 is formed of a precipitation hardened stainless steel of
the alloy 15-5 but can also be fabricated from a variety of other
materials such as 300 series stainless steel or Iconel Nickel-Base
Superalloy or titanium alloy. The support collar 42 is formed in the shape
of a tube with walls thin enough so that the material is deformed and
stretches in the elastic region of the material stress-strain curve during
high temperature excursions of the transducer thereby providing stress
relief to the sealing glass 40 and main support member 32 to prevent
cracking. A typical wall thickness for support collar 42 is 0.15 inch with
a height of 0.48 inch and an outside diameter of 0.56 inch. The
coefficient of thermal expansion of support collar 42 is greater than that
of the main support member 32. The sealing glass 40 is selected so that
its coefficient of thermal expansion is slightly greater than that of the
main support member 32 such that at elevated temperature a compression
type seal is created due to the greater expansion of the sealing glass 40
and support collar 42 as compared to the expansion of the main support
member 32. The coefficient of thermal expansion of the intermediate
support member 28 is substantially equal to that of the diaphragm assembly
26 and the main support member 32. To summarize, the coefficient of
thermal expansion of the diaphragm assembly 26 is substantially equal to
that of the intermediate support member 28 which is substantially equal to
that of the main support member 32 where the coefficient of thermal
expansion of the sealing glass 40 is slightly greater than that of the
main support member 32 and the coefficient of thermal expansion of the
support collar 42 is greater than that of the sealing glass 40.
If only low pressures are to be measured, then the coefficient of thermal
expansion of the main support member 32 and the sealing glass 40 and the
support collar 42 can all be substantially equal.
At the lower section 38 of main support member 32 a support washer 52 is
located at a second end of the main support member 32 where support washer
52 is also fused to the sealing glass 40 and has an passageway extending
therethrough in substantial alignment with the passageway 34 of the main
support member 32.
The transducer main housing 48 extends downward to engage the lower
transducer member 44 and is attached thereto using a welding process along
its periphery at 46. The lower transducer member 44 has a passageway 56
extending from a pressure fitting 58 which is threaded to engage a
pressure coupling from the pressure source to be measured. The passageway
56 is in substantial alignment with the passageway of support washer 52
thereby providing for communication of the pressure to be measured from
the lower end of the transducer assembly through the lower transducer
member 44 through the support washer 52 into the passageway 34 of the main
support member 32 into the passageway 30 of the intermediate support
member 28 and finally to the bottom surface of the diaphragm 8.
Passageways 56, 34 and 30 form a high pressure chamber.
A top cover 60 continuously contacts the inner surface of the main housing
48 and the outside periphery of the connector 22 so that an environmental
seal is effectuated.
Referring to FIG. 2, a cross-sectional view shows the diaphragm 8 as a thin
deflectable diaphragm of single or a polycrystalline silicon preferably
having a thickness of from 0.001 inches to 0.007 inches. A thin layer of
electrically insulating oxide 12 is deposited on the top surface of the
diaphragm 8 and a plurality of strain sensitive elements 14 are formed on
the oxide 12 which can be piezoresistive elements epitaxially grown or
deposited by methods such as chemical vacuum deposition or sputtering. The
doping and epitaxial element deposition on the silicon diaphragm 8 is well
known in the art as described in detail in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,463,336;
4,080,830 and EP 0,390,619 the disclosures of which are incorporated
herein by reference. The diaphragm 8 has a thicker section 10 at the
periphery which is integral with the diaphragm 8 and functions as a
support thereof. The bottom face of the thicker section 10 is optically
polished to a fineness of approximately one fringe per inch in preparation
for bonding preferably by an electrostatic process such as anodic bonding
to the intermediate support member 28 which has an upper face that is
prepared for bonding in a similar fashion. (Both the upper and lower faces
of the intermediate support member 28 are polished in preparation for
anodic bonding.) The intermediate support member 28 can take a variety of
shapes but preferably matches the shape of the diaphragm assembly 26 which
is a square shape as disclosed herein while the main support member 32 is
cylindrical as disclosed but can be of a variety of shapes. Intermediate
support member 28 is formed of a borosilicate glass such as 7740 Pyrex
made by Corning Glass Works which is processed to form a wafer having a
centrally located passageway 30 which communicates from the upper face to
the lower face of the intermediate support member 28 thereby providing a
path for passage of the fluid to be measured.
Common in the prior art is a method whereby solid state techniques
involving the diffusion or deposition of a force sensitive arrangement of
peizoresistors are used to fabricate a device which generates an
electrical output proportional to pressure and/or deflection. FIG. 3 shows
a top view of the silicon pressure sensing diaphragm having a pattern of
piezoresistive strain gages 62 attached to the insulating oxide 12 on the
top surface of the diaphragm 8 where the strain gages 62 are configured to
form what is known in the art as a Wheatstone bridge circuit whose output
leads 64 are connected to wird bonding pads 66 to form a strain measuring
circuit 68 to measure strain of the diaphragm 8 upon introduction of a
fluid pressure to be measured via passageway 30. The piezoresistors 62 are
typically arranged so that two elements of the four are subject to tension
and two are subjected to compression upon deflection of diaphragm 8. It is
understood that other types of strain sensitive electrical devices could
be used to generate an electrical signal in response to a strain in
diaphragm 8 such as a capacitor. Some general fabrication techniques used
in integrated circuit technology to deposit, diffuse or otherwise form the
piezoresistive elements 62 on a silicon substrate are disclosed in U.S.
Pat. Nos. 4,706,100; 4,295,115; 3,935,634; and 3,916,365, the disclosure
of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
Now referring to FIG. 4, a cross-section of the diaphragm assembly 26 is
surrounded by a primary circuit board 18 where electrical connection is
made from the strain measuring circuit 68 to the primary circuit board 18
via wires 16. The signal processing and amplification electronics assembly
4 includes an integrated circuit 70 which may include a relatively small
power source providing a voltage across the piezoresistive elements in
addition to measuring their change in resistivity and reaction to changes
in the stress level of the diaphragm 8. Integrated circuit 70 may include
an amplifier, compensation circuitry or other circuitry to enhance the
signals provided from the pressure sensing assembly 2. For example, the
compensation circuitry may receive an input from a temperature sensor and
employ a curve fitting algorithm to enhance the accuracy of the transducer
over a broad temperature range. U.S. Pat. No. 4,788,521, the disclosure of
which is incorporated by reference, discloses a method of temperature
compensation utilizing resistors with carefully selected temperature
coefficients of resistivity. Similarly, the resistance values of the
piezoresistive strain gages 62 can be trimmed after forming using
techniques known in the art to a desired value. The amplified and/or
compensated signal is provided from integrated circuit 70 along electrical
leads 24 to connector 22. Connector 22 may be of a standardized type
suitable for connection to external electrical equipment. Depending on the
specific application, the electronics contained within integrated circuit
70 may alternatively be contained in the external electrical monitoring
equipment. In this case, electronics assembly 4 may be eliminated and the
electrical connectors 32 may be connected directly to the external
connector 22. Wires 16 are joined from the wire bonding pads 66 of the
strain measuring circuit 68 to the bonding pads of the primary circuit
board 18 using common wire bonding techniques well known in the prior art.
FIG. 5 is a cross-section view of the main support member 32 joined to the
support collar 42 by means of a sealing glass 40, the assembly being
further contained with support washer 52. The sealing glass 40 is of a
content similar to that made by Schott Glaswerke, a Composite Solder
Glass, Part No. G017-339 which can be supplied as a glass preform 72 as
shown in FIG. 6 or in bulk as a glass powder. The sealing glass 40 or
preform 72 is prepared for installation by soaking in water or by placing
in a humidity chamber. The hydration of the sealing glass 40 is important
in both the bonding process and to form the proper structural
characteristics needed to minimize induced strains during temperature
excursions of the transducer. The water content controls the
characteristics of the sealing glass 40 upon heating such as skin
formation which controls the wetting and bonding of the sealing glass 40
to the main support member 32 and the support collar 42. Also, the water
content in the sealing glass 40 creates microbubbles during the sealing
heating process which alters the structural characteristics of the sealing
glass 40 to minimize stresses transmitted to main support member 32.
Once the glass is prepared by hydration, assembly can commence. Assembly
fixture 74 is used to provide the proper spacing between the support
washer 52 and the support collar 42 which in turn sets the spacing for the
main support member 32 and also contains the sealing glass 40 as it is
heated and fused. Using the assembly fixture 74, the bottom face of the
main support member 32 is maintained at a level higher than the bottom of
the support collar 42, the objective being to properly distribute induced
stresses in the main support element 32, the intermediate support element
28 and the diaphragm assembly 26 as the transducer undergoes temperature
excursions.
During assembly, the support collar is placed upon the assembly fixture 74,
support washer 52 is then placed inside the support collar 42 so that it
lies on the top face of assembly fixture 74. If a glass preform is used,
it is slipped on the lower end of the main support member 32 which is then
inserted into the support collar 42 and held in position thereby. If a
bulk powdered glass is used, the main support member 32 is placed into
position inside the support collar 42 and centered therein, whereupon the
powdered glass is packed into the space between the main support member 32
and the support collar 42. This whole support assembly 76 is then heated
to a high temperature following the temperature versus time curve shown in
FIG. 7 so that the sealing glass 40 is melted and flows wetting the
surface of the main support member 32 and the inside surface of the
support collar 42 and the top surface of support washer 52 bonding thereto
and providing a hermetic seal therebetween.
Support assembly 76 is heated in an oven following a temperature versus
time curve such as that shown in FIG. 7 where segments 78 and 80 of the
temperature versus time curve is a general glass drying time at a
temperature ramping from 30.degree. C. to 300.degree. C. over a time
period of approximately five minutes and then held at 300.degree. C. for
an additional five minutes. The support assembly 76 is then heated to a
maximum temperature of 530.degree. C. following a stair-step type of
temperature curve as shown in segment 80 of FIG. 7 where that event
occupies a time period of approximately ten minutes. During this time, the
water content in the sealing glass 40 undergoes a phase change and the
vapor generated causes microbubbles to be formed in the sealing glass. The
support assembly 76 is then held at a temperature of 530.degree. C. for an
additional time period of thirty minutes as indicated by line segment 84.
During this time period, the sealing glass 40 melts and flows so as to
bond to the main support member 32 and the support collar 42 and the
support washer 52 thereby providing for a physical support and the
hermetic seal of the three elements. The sealing glass 40 then sets up and
recrystallizes during a cool down period that occupies a time of
approximately fifteen minutes where the sealing glass 40 cools from a
temperature of 530.degree. C. to room temperature of approximately
30.degree. C. as shown by line segment 86. It is understood that all
temperatures and times disclosed herein are approximate and similar
results are attainable using alternate parameters.
The support assembly 76 is then removed from the heating chamber and the
assembly fixture 74 and installed on the transducer by welding the support
collar 42 to the lower transducer member 44 at 46, thereby hermetically
sealing the pressure to be measured from the reference pressure and
providing physical support for the pressure sensing assembly 2 through the
intermediate suppport member 28, the main support member 32, the sealing
glass 40, the support collar 42 and lower transducer member 44. The
assembly is completed with the welding of the lower transducer member 44
to the main housing 48 at 54, the installation of the electronics assembly
4 and the cover 60.
From the foregoing, it will be apparent that there has been provided an
improved pressure transducer utilizing a strain sensitive element formed
on a diaphragm. The diaphragm assembly 26 is anodically bonded to a Pyrex
glass insulator intermediate support member 28 which is in turn anodically
bonded to a main support member 32 providing for physical support and
hermetic sealing with a sealing glass 40 and support collar 42 assuring
maximum strength and providing stress iolation for operation up to
500.degree. F. By matching the thermal expansion coefficients of the
diaphragm assembly 26 with the intermediate support member 28, the main
support member 32, and the support collar 42 the thermal stresses induced
at various temperatures which cause measurement error or failure of the
device are eliminated. The materials are carefully selected on the basis
of their coefficient of thermal expansion for the diaphragm assembly 26,
intermediate support member 28, main support member 32, sealing glass 40
and support collar 42. As an example, the following relative approximate
coefficient of thermal expansion values have been selected to give the
desired results: diaphragm assembly 26--2.5.times.10.sup.-6 /.degree.K.;
intermediate support member 28--2.5.times.10.sup.-6 /.degree.K.; main
support member 32--2.5.times.10.sup.-6 /.degree.K.; sealing glass
40--4.5.times.10.sup.-6 /.degree.K.; support collar
42--11.3.times.10.sup.-6 /.degree.K. Furthermore, by providing a
construction wherein the sealing glass and other components function so
that the main support member 32 is stressed in compression, any tendency
to fracture when the transducer is subjected to high operating pressures
or temperatures is greatly reduced. If only low pressure is to be
measured, all of the elements 26, 28, 32, 40, and 42 can have
substantially equal coefficients of thermal expansion.
Now referring to FIG. 8. a cross-sectional view of a first alternate
embodiment of a pressure transducer 88 is shown where the main housing 48
functions as a support collar in that the sealing glass 40 bonds directly
to the main housing 48 inside surface. Thus, the sealing glass 40 bonds
the main support member 32, and the support washer 52, directly to the
transducer main housing 48 providing a hermetic seal between the high
pressure passageway 34 and the reference pressure contained in housing
section 90. Main housing 48 forms a cavity which is sealed by a cover 60
and communicates with the pressure to be measured at the opposite end by a
passageway 56 which is threaded to accept a pressure fitting 58 contained
in the lower transducer member 44. Main housing 48 is joined to the lower
transducer member 44 by welding as shown at 46. Also shown is the
intermediate support member 28 which is fabricated from an insulating
glass and anodically bonded to the main support member 32 at face 36 where
the surface to be bonded of main support member 32 is optically polished
to a fineness of one fringe per inch. Both the intermediate support member
28 and the main support member 32 have an axial passageway therethrough as
shown at 30 and 34 respectively. A crystalline diaphragm assembly 26 is
anodically bonded to the intermediate support member 28 at the thicker
section 10 located at the periphery of the diaphragm 8. At least one
strain sensitive element 14 is mounted on the diaphragm 8 and is
electrically connected by way of wires 16 to an electronics assembly 4
which provides power conditioning and amplification of the signals from
the strain sensitive elements 14 in response to changes in the force
applied to diaphragm 8 due to the pressure to be measured as compared to
the reference pressure. The amplified signals are then relayed to read-out
instrumentation which is not shown but is commonly known in the art by way
of wires 92.
FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of a second alternate embodiment of the
present invention where the diaphragm assembly 26 has been bonded directly
to the main support element 32. The purpose of the intermediate support
element 28 in the prior embodiments was to allow the diaphragm assembly 26
to be anodically bonded while using a main support member 32 made out of
silicon; the difficulty being that the silicon diaphragm assembly 26
cannot be anodically bonded directly to the silicon main support member
32. Assuming that a satisfactory bonding method can be implemented, the
diaphragm assembly 26 (which can be made out of a variety of crystalline
materials including silicon) can be mounted directly onto the main support
member 32 which can be fabricated from a crystalline or polycrystalline
silicon or an alternate material. In any case, the coefficient of thermal
expansion of the various elements must be matched in accordance with the
disclosure herein to assure that the internal stresses at elevated
temperature do not result in failure of the diaphragm 8 or any of the
support elements. The strain sensitive elements 14 are electrically
connected to the electronics assembly 4 by way of connecting wires 16
where the electronics assembly 4 contains various electronic circuitry to
condition and amplify the electrical signals generated from the strain
sensitive elements 14. This electrical signal is then relayed to the
connector 22 by way of electrical leads 24 for connection to external
read-out instrumentation.
What is disclosed is a new device, apparatus and method of supporting a
silicon (or other crystalline material) diaphragm for use in a pressure
transducer where the support is mounted and the high pressure chamber
therein is hermetically sealed from a reference pressure chamber for
operation under harsh environmental conditions especially high
temperatures and pressures.
It will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that many
variations in the foregoing preferred embodiment are possible while
remaining within the scope of the present invention. The present invention
should thus not be considered limited to the preferred embodiments or the
specific choices of materials, configurations, dimensions, applications or
ranges of parameters employed therein.
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